Month: August 2010

I have selected some of my favorites from OPI’s Swiss, China Glaze’s Vintage Vixen and Sephora by OPI’s Rocker Chic collections. One randomly chosen winner will receive six new bottles of polish. One each of:

Follow me on Twitter and retweet the following: Follow @PlayWithPolish and RT to win new polish for fall! http://www.playingwithpolish.com/2010/08/fall-favorites-giveaway/

For extra credit, follow using Google Friend Connect and follow and retweet on Twitter. Limit two enteries per person (one each method).

The deadline is September 2, 2010 at 5:00 PM Pacific.

I will choose one randomly selected winner on September 2, 2010 and notify them via Google Friend Connect messaging (or through Twitter). Please respond within 72 hours, or I will select another winner. My contest is open to anyone (except my family of course).

Orly’s much anticipated Cosmic FX collection includes six colors. I selected three that seemed the most interesting and displayed a duochrome effect. Each of these had a stunning glass fleck/foil finish. I absolutely love space themes, and could not wait to try these on!

Galaxy Girl

A lovely deep purplish-plum with teal colored flecks. This has a slight duochrome teal/dark pink.

Orly Galaxy Girl in sunlight

Orly Galaxy Girl in shaded natural light

Application was excellent. Two coats and a top coat shown.

Lunar Eclipse

A vibrant blue with purple/pink duochrome flecks. The duochrome is not as noticeable on the nail, but it is still a knockout!

Orly Lunar Eclipse in shaded natural light

Orly Lunar Eclipse showing a bit of duochrome

Application was excellent. Two coats and a top coat shown.

Space Cadet

In a way Space Cadet was a bit like our trip to Italy – everywhere I turned there was something new and beautiful to photograph! No matter how I turned my hand Space Cadet was showing another side of its stunning personality! This polish shows the most duochrome effect both in the bottle and on the nail. It is green/gold/rose/plum. WOW!

Orly Space Cadet in sunlight

Orly Space Cadet in shaded natural light

Application was very good, but a bit sheerer than the other two. Three coats and a top coat shown.

Rocker Chic is Sephora by OPI’s new fall collection. There are nine new colors. Here are the five that appealed most to me.

Do I Know You?

A pinkish-beige crème.

Sephora by OPI Do I Know You? in sunlight

Application was very good. Two coats and a top coat shown.

Dating the Drummer

Based on the pictures and description on Sephora’s website, “sheer warm walnut with fine holographic glitter”, I was expecting something different. I would not describe the polish as particularly sheer, and I was hoping for more glitter. It is pretty, but subtle and not as exciting as I had hoped it would be.

Sephora by OPI Dating the Drummer in sunlight

Application was very good. Two coats and a top coat shown.

Rock His World

A dark brownish- red crème.

Sephora by OPI Rock His World in sunlight

Application was very good. Two coats and a top coat shown.

Club Scene Queen

Smoky with fine teal glitter. Sephora describes this polish as being sheer, and it sure is! This polish had promise, and I would have really liked this one if it was more opaque.

Sephora by OPI Club Scene Queen in sunlight

Application was so-so. This polish is pretty sheer, and I had issues with bald spots. Even after three coats there is still a distinctive visible nail line Three coats shown.

Just a Little Dangerous

A lovely metallic purple with pink and blue shimmer. It is no surprise that this one is by far my favorite!

Sephora by OPI Just a Little Dangerous in sunlight

Application was very good. Two coats and a top coat shown.

Sephora by OPI Rocker Chic

Overall this is a nice fall collection. I would have liked a bit more shimmer and glitter though! Given the name, I would have expected it to be a bit more edgy or fun.

Splash of Grenadine is a purplish-pink crème from Essie’s Resort collection. This is a fun, feminine color. I wore this for four days without any chipping, and I got a compliment from a friend that I did not think ever notices my nail polish!

Essie Splash of Grenadine in artificial light

Essie Splash of Grenadine in sunlight

I am not sure I understand the name though. Grenadine is bright red! Mix a splash of it in a cocktail, and it is still red

Essie Splash of Grenadine with a Splash of Grenadine

Essie Splash of Grenadine

Application was good. I have found that some Essies are streaky, this wasn’t but it was a bit sheer. It took me three coats to achieve complete opacity. Three coats and a top coat shown.

Piggy Polish is marketed as a toenail polish with the tagline, “goes on toes!” I see no reason why it would be confined to use on toes though! The Right to Bare Feet is a luscious shimmery raspberry pink/gold/orange/copper duochrome. It is a cliché for sure, but it reminds me on an amazing sunset! I did notice that this had a stronger more harsh smell than most of my polishes Although at the moment I have just swatched it on my fingers, I think I am going to put it on my toes next! The Right to Bare Feet should be an awesome pedicure color! I love duochromes for toes! Application was great. I almost had opaque coverage in one coat. Two coats and a top coat shown.

Piggy Polish The Right to Bare Feet in artificial light

Piggy Polish The Right to Bare Feet in shaded natural light

Piggy Polish The Right to Bare Feet in sunlight

Piggy Polish The Right to Bare Feet in sunlight

Piggy Polish The Right to Bare Feet

The Right to Bare Feet is a playful summery color. I can see myself reaching for this one a lot!

I usually wear my nails longer, but last week I suffered a home improvement related accident and had to cut them short. So my fall swatches are going to be short and sassy!

In Stitches and Velvet Voyeur are two more polishes from Essie’s new fall collection. For the other colors in this collection, please see my review of Essie’s fall 2010 minis.

In Stitches

In stitches is a brownish-pink crème. It’s a nice fall color, and I think it would be appropriate for most offices. Something about this color is not really my style, but I think it looked good on.

Application was very smooth and even. Two coats and a top coat shown.

Essie In Stitches in artificial light

Essie In Stitches in sunlight

Velvet Voyeur

My first impression of this color is that it was a deep burgundy red. Upon closer examination, I found the color to be more interesting than that Velvet Voyeur is a dark brownish purple crème. I really like this deep vampy color, so my swatch turned into a full mani!

I have very sensitive eyes, but when I was younger I was able to wear glittery eye shadow and any mascara I liked. For the past few years I have not been able to wear eye makeup due the allergic reactions it triggered. I tried everything that was recommended to me as being good for sensitive skin. No matter what I tried, I still had an allergic reaction. I even asked my doctor, but she did not have any helpful suggestions. I pretty much gave-up.

Recently I decided to try again. I searched online for potential irritants, and discovered that most makeup no matter what claims they made, contained ingredients that could prove irritating to sensitive skin. I browsed the Environmental Working Group’s cosmetic safety database and found Coastal Classic Creations. I visited their website and ordered three eyeshadows and a mascara (eyeshadow samples are $32 for three, and $18 each in the full-size).

Coastal Classic Creations in Barrier Reef, Pearl and Habitat

Coastal Classic Creation in Pearl, Barrier Reef and Habitat

I ordered trial sizes of Barrier Reef (light pink with a bit of a lavender cast to it), Pearl (very light grey) and Habitat (lavender). Costal Classic Creations classifies each as a light shade (dark shades can double as eyeliners). Application was pretty good. Perhaps it did not blend quite as well as “regular” make-up, but it has been a while and my memory could be flawed. Pearl was a bit lighter than I expected based on its appearance in the container. I was able to wear each of these with no problems (along with their whispering seas mascara). Overall they delivered a soft and pretty look.

These might not be for people who crave a huge selection, and glittery shades. The price is also pretty high-end. However for women with very sensitive skin or those who are concerned about the ingredients in their makeup, I think these eyeshadows could be a wonderful solution! I am so happy that I can wear eye make-up again! I am looking forward to trying their other colors!

Yeats Poem Lapis & Oeil De Perdrix is part of StrangeBeautiful’s exclusive configuration for Anthropologie. Jane Schub, a former illustrator and StrangeBeautiful’s creator, cites her inspiration for the colors rather than giving each polish a name. Her polishes are sold in pairs (both connectors and cubes) and eight bottle volumes. Anthropologie’s StrangeBeautiful pairs retail for $18.